hi there guys.... a novice to modelling still.. on my 2nd vehcile/gun placement model... having bought the tamiyaGerman 20mm Flakvierling 38 just last night.. looking at the instructions it says that on no.3 fixing machine gun bases, that i have to heat fix a leaver from the machine gun riggin to the optic sights..?

has anyone ever heat fixed anything to any of there models??

whats the best way to do this???


all help apreciated in advance!

tony

Some models call for this, usually aircraft models. Whenever this is called for on a model, I use a small screwdriver I keep just for the purpose. I heat the end of the screwdriver over a candle flame, then apply to the part to be heated/melted. You don't need to get too aggressive with the process. Usually, the model just calls for a slight flattening of an end of a part, to keep something from sliding off.

Mike

What they are referring to is to heat the end of a small screwdriver and then melt the end of the tab to lock in the loop that it slips into. You can practice on a small piece of sprue if you're not comfortable. YOu only get one chance...

Tony

The object of the exercise is so that the sights will elevate with the gun barrels as they did on the real thing. If you just want to fix your barrels in place then you can simply glue the connection to the sights.

If not, then I would suggest you heat the end of an old screwdriver in a candle flame (taking all normal precautions, of course) and when it is hot enough (test it on a piece of sprue first), hold it near the end of the protruding pin (on part F20) until the end melts into a dome shape.

It should only take a few seconds until the part is hard again.

Regards

Rob

Tony -

If you're not successful with the heat method, as Roy states you only get one chance, another option you may want to think about is snipping off the part to be heated, drill a shallow locator hole where a pin would go, then add a pin through the eye of the arm and glue it to the drilled hole (being careful to not get any glue on the eye, as then it wouldn't be able to elevate properly). Little bit of extra work, just be sure to have a dome shape on one end of the pin you installed so it won't allow the arm to slide off...

Hope didn't confuse you, good luck with either way you take a run at it. Cheers!

Tim